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Tax Season is upon us in America! Your either going to pay taxes or get a refund either way you cannot avoid this time of year for long without consequences! The debates on Food Stamps have commenced and boy are they good!

One side of the issue:

You pay into food stamps in case you need them one day yourself. Face it car accidents can happen within the split of a second. I know first hand thanks to a couple drunk drivers. Yeah I have had a run in with drunk drivers twice in my life…literally. It is impossible to say you will never lose out on work temporarily or permanently due to circumstances you cannot control. Even if you have your peas lined up in a pod someone or something will most likely come along at least once and turn them into pea soup! I am okay with the system of I will pay into food stamps even when not using them in case I ever do need them. Never say Never………shit happens.

The other side of the issue:

Lazy people collect food stamps. You are lazy if you cannot find a good enough job to pay for all your living expenses. This is America the land of opportunity. Get off your ass and get to work!

I have met people that work 2 jobs and still have food stamps! Rent, utilities, child care costs, education loans, and medical costs really add up fast! Do you really want to see dozens of people begging in front of restaurants or crowding sidewalks just to get a simple free meal? I have been to a third world country and witnessed people lining up to collect the trash to eat the crumbs off of the plates tourists are about to throw away. It is heartbreaking.

I looked up the numbers on how much food stamps cost tax payers. In 2011 a family making 50,000 a year paid out a whopping 38.00 a year towards food stamp coverage! Most of us pay more then 38.00 for supper and a movie! Is 38.00 really that painful of a cost to pay?

The Solutions

Of course one solution will not be the band aid that stops all the bleeding. These might help and if your going to debate something or complain at least present how the problem can be dealt with constructively.

Victory Gardens. Imagine what could happen if we turned all the empty warehouses and lots into gardening areas? Seeds are cheap and it does not take a lot of intelligence to turn soil to build a garden. Victory Gardens did plenty for our troops in the past and they can do a lot for those facing hunger in our own country in modern society!

Taxes must be paid but allow the tax payer to choose what bracket they pay into. So you do not want to pay into food stamps? Fine. Select from a list of other options such as Emergency services, road work, or the public school system. If you refuse to pay into food stamps guess what? You cannot get them if you are injured and cannot work.

Lower the costs of other living expenses such as rent, mortgage, health insurance, child care, etc while keeping the minimum wage the same. This allows your dollar to go further and this might ease the 38.00 burden it is costing you.

Stop the robots. Robots will soon be policing the streets, drones will be delivering your packages instead of a human, a robot will serve you food, your I-phone will replace your doctor unless its a direct emergency, a robot will do your landscaping, robots can be trained to do almost anything now including building structures.

Not every person is able to do the kind of math it takes to go into robotics and computers. When we replace basic jobs with robots we take more jobs off the market resulting in a higher unemployment rate. This will increase the food stamp costs. Technology is not always a great thing. We need basic jobs to stay open that people of any level can do.

Is it harsh to say the “lazy” people are on welfare? When was the last time you heard someone say I want to be on food stamps today? Or a child say I want to be lazy when I grow up! We have a natural human instinct to take care of ourselves. We feel threatened subconsciously if we do not meet our basic needs. if you are going to use the line “some people claiming benefits are simply lazy and refusing to work”, please back your view with the percent like this.

It is easier though to sit back and say you can solve the problems especially if you pin the problem as being an issue with laziness. Simply charge the lazy with a crime and put them in prison….

Oh wait..Prisons…..

Don’t they cost tax payers something too?

The lazy argument does not make sense when it comes to food assistance.

Do you eat protein before or after a work out? I have read conflicting information. Some people say to eat protein before a work out others say afterwards. When do you eat your protein? Before a work out or after?

This is my social media status of the day. I thought I would pass it along to Word Press

Why do you want everything to die? If you wanted everything to live you would not be supporting Monsanto. I often wonder is the food really that good? I must be missing out on some good shit! I saw the bugs lying on the corn with their guts blown out. Looked like someone shot a BB straight through. I ask myself how many pounds of BT laced corn does a human have to eat before their gut blows out? Any guesses? Yeah I worked under Monsanto for 4 years in the fields. What I saw can never be unseen.

Lately Starbucks has grabbed my attention. They recently added Vegan milk products to the menu and some locations even have Organic Coffee. I thought this was impressive and a great idea. The organic vegan movement has been growing very fast and it is great for those with lactose intolerant issues.

I have been eating GMO free for over a year and Starbucks was a coffee place I had to give up. That is okay because the local small shops need my money more. Organic coffee tastes better and the smaller shops seem to put more pride behind their own brew. I am from the Seattle area, I am automatically an expert…right? 😉 Every small coffee shop has a different style it is almost an art form. Every Starbucks offers the same thing, consistency and convenience. Boring!

The Ferguson Missouri issue went all the way up to the United Nations over the past year. It is an ongoing debate between police brutality vs the citizens and race differences. Race is an important topic because of cultural differences. Each area of the world has a different culture and wisdom can be learned from all of them. Racial differences become a problem when we take one group of society and give privileges another group does not have. We are seeing this now with the 1% vs middle class vs those in poverty. Take feminism vs the male population. Females have struggles but we also have the same opportunities men have. If wage and income is the problem between sexes it is safe to say Women have a pretty strong hand. If you do not believe me look at Oprah! Both Men and Women have scrambled to grab her attention to promote a book or food item.

Equal rights are extremely important but so is respect. As we learn more about ourselves and heritage we realize throughout time that we really are not that different. We all want to be loved, everyone must have fresh food and clean water to survive, temperature control, and a non violent home. Who you pray too does not affect your ability to learn. We create problems in society when we look past these basic needs. War rips apart the land and trade deals stop. When trade deals stop people begin to go hungry. Water is being polluted everywhere and the lack of fresh food and clean water is causing violence.

When we stop respecting our neighbors and resources violence occurs. It is easy to point to the obvious reasons for violence in a different area. Right now Religion, Race, and Government Brutality seem to be the hot topics to pinpoint the violence on. Those issues are extremely important.

Do you ever notice that a society that has Education, Employment, Clean Water, Fresh Organic Food, and Community Activities seem to run the best? Is it a possibility we are looking towards the wrong direction?

Starbucks I am disgusted that you created awkward situations within the coffee lines by asking people how they embrace others of a different race! You should be promoting Respect!When we respect who we are and who others are we become non violent! Science has proven that human beings have negative reactions inside the body when they are presented with stressful situations! Grabbing your coffee is supposed to be a relaxing time! People make friends and get married over a random meet up at a coffee place!

The CEO of Starbucks said his campaign was successful. Yes it was. Starbucks made the headlines across the world. Whenever we hear the name Starbucks we think lets grab a cup of coffee. The race issue created the advertisement. Yes Starbucks did make headlines and those who were not aware of the name now are. That is Corporate success! Spreading your brand name and acquiring wealth. The very act of writing this blog is a form of advertising. Some of you might be thinking…gee now I want a Latte. Its free advertising. Every dog trainer knows that Negative or Positive Attention is still attention! As long as people are talking people are going to be drinking!

It takes a lot of media attention to sell over priced coffee to people who are having a difficult time buying food and paying rent.

Why did I write this even though its giving Starbucks more attention? Because people are going to buy the coffee just because! We all know McDonald’s is very unhealthy but we still buy it. If people did not buy it we would not see open stores. Luckily people are turning away from McDonald’s. As I said earlier we are tired of eating the typical thing within society. I would rather grab a sandwich at a local place then a chain any day!

My words will not stop Starbucks lovers to stop drinking the coffee just like obesity will not stop some people from buying greasy food. People will buy what they love regardless of what is promoted. Therefore I do not care that this blog will make people think Starbucks this morning.

Please don’t go to Starbucks. Try a local coffee place or go to the grocery store and buy a coffee brand that is Organic that you have never tried before. You do not want all the pesticides in conventional processed coffee in your body anyway. Coffee contains high amounts of pesticides and herbicides. When you shop locally you provide your neighbors jobs.

Please be a part of a real solution and support local businesses. Starbucks you promoted the wrong issue! We need to be looking towards the largest issues of all starvation, dehydration, dirty conditions, a lack of education, war, and brutality.

Different colors of skin, religions, languages, and abilities are beautiful and unique! Lets embrace the beauty of our differences! Not fight over them! Yes you are different then me and you are amazing! We are all created equally but we are all unique! Be unique! Live in Peace! Do not fall for false advertising schemes!

JUST HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS STARBUCKS DURING THE RACE TOGETHER CAMPAIGN????

Earlier this week I posted a question: Whether or not I should consume eggs and give up the Vegan life style. I got several mixed replies. The act of ending the Vegan lifestyle after two years was not an easy decision. Most people told me this: You live once so eat what you want.That is a great attitude to have if you do not understand what it is like to become obese and then overcome it. When you defeat obesity the reality sets in of how fast and easily it can happen again and its easy to admit that a new kind of paranoia or fear has set in. The fear of being fat.

The following is based off of my experiences and I am not a nutritionist nor a doctor.

The Pros of a Vegan Diet

Very quick weight loss

Decreased Cholesterol

Food bill Decreased

The Cons of a Vegan Diet

At first you will feel increased energy. Over time that energy increase will drop. I found myself depressed, emotional, and exhausted.

Tofu is going to taste like tofu regardless of how you flavor or cook it.

Cooking becomes repetitive- Unless you can afford to buy out of season produce be prepared to face food boredom during the colder months.

Vitamin Deficiency- There are very few sources to get B-12 from on this diet. Your brain and nerves need b-12 to function. Most Vegans will tell you that you can gain B-12 through eating Sea Vegetables. I tried this and still became weak.

I never felt full. Constantly had food cravings

Socialization becomes difficult. You will soon realize your support team will not be as strong as you suspected and some might even find it rude when you turn down food or you cannot eat out at a certain restaurant, especially if you have done so for years with a group of people . Depending on where you live it can be very difficult to eat Vegan and still maintain a good social structure.

I noticed bone weakness and yes my teeth started chipping. That was the first sign I was low in minerals and vitamins.

Bloating……oh the bloating.

Increase in nerve pain

If you are going to be Vegan anyway after reading this do not use Vegan based media to tell you how to eat. Please seek guidance from a nutritionist. I read the books written by professionals but over time a lot can go wrong. You need to have blood work done to make sure that you are not becoming vitamin and mineral deficient. In fact being Vegan is not right for everyone and its best to consult an expert directly, not just read what “experts” publish.

Since I brought my question to the table I have reintroduced eggs and goats milk to my diet. Goats milk is very high in Selenium and great if you are lactose sensitive or you suffer from heart burn. It is the closest milk to human breast milk. I have been sensitive to cows milk in the past so I decided to try goats milk for a while and see how it goes. So far I feel better but it has only been a few days. After two years eggs taste amazing! I really missed having an omelet or french toast for breakfast. Sure you can make a tofu scramble or a baked french toast that are Vegan, but it is not the same. Tofu will never taste like a real egg . I know it takes time for the body to adjust but after a few days of eating eggs and drinking milk my digestion has improved and the nerve pain has decreased.

Of course it is important to watch where you buy your animal products from. Local is best and it is a fun adventure to visit the farm where your milk and eggs come from!

I will not go back to eating meat products unless several doctors were to demand it. Meat contains a lot of acid and is linked to inflammation.

I do not regret being a Vegan because I can now give a solid opinion on it, learned a lot about myself, and how to cook a few new dishes! Not all of it was bad. It simply did not work for my body. Not every human being can be a Vegan. My friends are right you only do get this exact life therefore it is important to learn what works best for you! Trial and error often hurts but sticking to one life style because that is all you know can be just as extreme.

It is also not okay to judge. Some people have to have meat in they’re diet or they get really sick. I would like to see the shaming of meat eaters end and the meat eaters need to stop making fun of those who choose vegetables!

I grew up as a meat eater, went vegan, and now I am a vegetarian. Regardless of how you classify yourself bullying another group will not get you too far. You never know when you will end up switching sides so do not judge for you too will one day be judged!

I hope all of us can agree that shoving thousands of animals in one building is not ethical nor healthy when it comes to spreading disease. Regardless of how you eat know where all your food comes from and what it is in it!